"Are you having a good time?" the young actress whose name escaped Jane at the moment asked.

"Oh I'm having a really wonderful time," Jane replied with a broad smile.

"I guess something like this is really old hat to you," the actress went on as she gestured to the large crowd that filled the even larger garden where the party was being held. "You must've attended hundreds of parties like this before. This is my first." she gushed.

Jane just continued to smile. Truth be told, this was the first party like this she had ever attended as well. Even in her heyday in Hollywood, she had never been invited to an A-List party. Especially not one in a setting like that around her.

The large twenty-six-room mansion on the seacoast had been built by one of the great actors of the nineteen twenties, one of those people who had practically created the movie industry. Its current owner and their host for the weekend, was one of the new boy wonders of Hollywood. With six blockbusters and two Academy Awards behind him, the studio just couldn't say no to him when he'd come to them with the idea for the project he was now celebrating the completion of.

"Mara, Queen of the Jungle" was a multi-million dollar remake of a early nineteen eighties television show that Jason Flynn had been fixated on since his teen years. A sort of female version of the classic Tarzan story, it had been the thirty-six year old's lifelong dream to remake it in his image and he was now in a position to do just that.

Back when the show had been on television, it had definitely been low budget. It lasted only a few seasons, despite achieving almost cult-like status, especially among teen-age boys and was soon consigned to what was expected to be the oblivion of cancellation.

But then, like a few other shows of the era, it went into syndication and became a greater hit than it had ever been when it was first run. Even today, the seventy-two episodes could be found running on one cable station or another.

So, with an abundance of old television shows being made into big budget films, the studio was willing to green light the project and make Jason happy. Even if the film was a bomb, they reasoned, enough ticket buyers would go to see it based on Flynn's reputation for them to at least break even. At worst, if the film tanked, it would take the maverick producer/director down a peg or two and make him easier to deal with.

But the studio bosses greatly underestimated Jason and the lengths he was willing to go to insure his dream picture would indeed be a hit. This was a film he'd been thinking about for half his life and he already had a long list of things to do and people to see to make that happen. At the top of that list had been Jane Parker, who had retired from the motion picture business over a decade before. As soon as he got the commitment from the studio, he sought out the former actress and offered her a role he created especially for her.

To anyone who had loved the show of course, and their numbers had been legion, his action was both predictable and made perfect sense. Jane Parker had been the original Mara. In the new version, the now forty-six year old would play an explorer who discovers the Jungle Girl and brings her back to civilization.

When first approached with the offer, Jane had been a little reluctant at first to take on the role. But she had agreed to see Jason later in the month when he was on the East Coast where she'd relocated. It had been years since she'd set foot in front of a camera and she liked the idea of her fans remembering her as she had been, not as she was now.

Having spent more than half of her life in Hollywood, where looks were everything, Jane was oftentimes much too critical of herself. The reality was, which others could see even if she couldn't, that a dozen or so extra pounds and a few age lines had done little to lessen her beauty. In fact, many people thought she was more attractive as a mature woman, standing out among her peers in a way she never did back when she was just one of a thousand pretty girls in a bikini making the rounds and looking for their big break.

After Queen of the Jungle went off the air, Jane had appeared in a number of roles in the years that followed. True, most had been B or made for television movies with few starring roles, but at least she'd been a working actress for most of her career, something few of her contemporaries could say.

When she made the decision to quit the business before it quit on her, she also made the decision not to capitalize on her one great role. Oh she would answer the occasional fan mail that managed to come her way, but she refused to appear at any of the science fiction and fantasy conventions that sent her invitations. She didn't want to become some old lady trying to remember her glory days.

It was only recently that some friends had finally convinced her to attend one of those gatherings and she was overwhelmed to finally realize that she had been the only one who saw herself that way. She hadn't even been a guest at the convention, but someone had recognized her and word quickly spread. In no time at all, close to a thousand fans had abandoned the stars of current shows on the ballroom dais to gather around her in an empty room and engage in an impromptu question and answer session.

So when Jason came to see her in person, he found her in a much more receptive mood than she might've been only a few weeks before. Still, she only accepted the role when she was sure it was going to be a real part, and not just some quick cameo that might wind up on the cutting room floor.

His proven talent aside, Jane found Jason to be pretty much an adult version of the geeky teenage boys who had drooled over her when the show was on the air. In their chats over a two day period, he'd even let it slip that he'd had his share of fantasies about her character while growing up and had gone so far as to buy one of her original costumes at an auction to put on display in his new house. Jane also got the impression that even though she was a decade his senior, the filmmaker would be overjoyed to live out some of those fantasies even now.

If that was the case, Jane thought, then Jason was going to be greatly disappointed. It was true, she'd slept with the executive producer to get the role of Mara in the first place, and in the later part of her career, a few blow jobs might've helped pave the way to an audition or two, but those days were far behind her. Not knowing the reason for the little smile on the corner of her mouth, Jason droned on about his plans for the new rendition of Mara. No longer really listening, Jane found herself remembering how she'd gotten involved in the original version.

The producers of the original Queen of the Jungle had been looking for a fresh new face for their Jungle Girl and invited the talent agencies to send around some of their unknowns to read for the part. Jane knew going in there that she had little more going for her than a few small guest star roles, a couple of commercials and a resume that held little more than a minor national beauty title and a 38-26-38 figure. The funny thing was that in the end, it all pretty much came down to her being able to fill the costume.

The problem was, Jane remembered, there was another, younger actress, Juliet Newman, also fit the costume. And, despite only being in Hollywood a few years, Juliet had nearly twice Jane's experience. If it had been up to the studio, Juliet would've won the leading role.

But the decision wasn't up to the studio, however, and Jane got a first hand lesson in how things were sometimes still done in the business, at least on this level. Rebecca Simon, who had spent the better part of two decades establishing herself as a power to be reckoned with, had signed on as executive producer as a favor to an old friend. After climbing her way to the top over every obstacle they could put in front of her, the fifty-nine year old felt entitled to the perks that came with it.

That Rebecca was as gay as they came was no secret, or the fact that the quickest way to a role in one of her productions was through her bed. Juliet, who despite having already done her share of auditioning on her back, including securing a top agent by letting him fuck her ass, inexplicably decided that such things were now beneath her. If they really wanted her for the part, and in her mind they'd be foolish not to, then it was going to be on her terms.

"Who does that fat old dyke think she is that I'm going to crawl down between her legs and get her off?" Juliet had been heard to say within earshot of several people who had been more than happy to repeat it for the producer.

Rebecca, who stood five foot one, weighed in at almost two hundred pounds and couldn't be described as attractive by even her closest friends, was understandably upset when she'd heard the comment. While the description might indeed be accurate, it had been a good many years since anyone had dared voice it. Especially not someone as, despite her high opinion of herself, easily replaceable as Juliet.

The chance for the role was quickly offered to Jane, who it turned out, had no problem with crawling into the older woman's bed. While it had been her first time with a woman, the twenty-two year old didn't view rumpling the sheets with Rebecca any differently than with a man under the same circumstances. Looking back even now, Jane remembered the orgasm the very talented woman had given her as being quite memorable indeed.

The experience hadn't been repeated, at least not with Rebecca, who it seemed had a distinct preference for Sapphic virgins, and Jane was on her way. It was such a small price to pay for the rewards that followed, she always thought. As for Juliet, it was only a few years ago that Jane learned from a friend that despite a later willingness to go that extra yard for a role, her career had pretty much never gone anywhere. She did however gain some fame as the mother of a rising young star who had his own hit TV show.

"Oh my goodness, isn't that Cynthia Thomas?" the young actress who Jane finally remembered was named Debbie Ford gushed as she spotted the legend on the other side of the buffet table. Her excited voice snapping Jane back to the present.

Jane looked in that direction and nodded that indeed it was. Now in her late sixties, the star of stage and screen was attended by a young man four decades her junior. May/December romances were hardly unusual in Hollywood with the women now catching up to the men. But unlike, say in the case of Kate Douglas who Jane had seen at the party earlier, Cynthia's companion was hardly the boy-toy of the week. As Jane understood it, the young man with Cynthia had been her inseparable companion for almost ten years.

Yes things certainly had changed in Hollywood since she'd left, Jane reminded herself. Two actresses, stars of a hit show about a group of friends in New York that had just gone off the air after a ten year run, had even shown up with each other as an escort, making little effort to discourage the suggestion that they were more than just friends.

There had been a few other stars that Jane recognized from her actress days, but few that remembered her. In most cases, that was understandable as she'd barely knew them then. But in one case at least, the lapse seemed intentional.

Barbara Seward was now an Academy Award winner and had her choice of film roles to pick from. Still, Jane found it hard to believe that she had so easily forgotten co-starring with her in The Lost Legion, one of those B movies that had been the staple of both their careers a decade and a half ago. Especially since the two of them shared a trailer and Jane knew first hand how Babs had worked her way through a number of the young students who had been hired as extras on the film.

Far away from the comforts of civilization, there hadn't been much else to do on those long desert nights but play cards, get drunk, or fuck. Jane had hardly been an angel out on location either, but at least she hadn't been running up a scorecard.

Unwilling to take her snub graciously, Jane again engaged Barbara in conversation, this time while she was surrounded by adoring fans. Using the excuse of introducing her to Debbie, Jane again reminded her of their prior collaboration, this time not accepting the brush off "you must be mistaken" comment that Barbara had given before.

A look of abject horror appeared on Barbara's face as Jane alluded to those late night entertainments and for a moment the Academy Award winner feared the details were about to follow. Then Jane laughed, said that those were fun times and then just took hold of Debbie and walked away. She'd made her point and was satisfied with that.

As she picked up another drink from a passing waiter, Jane wondered if Barbara's admirers would've found it shocking that the star used to enjoy, and perhaps still did, taking on teenage boys, sometimes two or three at a time.

After thinking about it a minute, Jane decided probably not. This was Hollywood after all, and as long as the money kept rolling in, little was shocking.

Ten minutes later, Jane noticed the crowd had begun to gravitate to the far end of the clearing where Jason was giving a familiar speech about the film and how it was a dream come true. Having heard it all before, and not being among the many who needed to stay on the boy wonder's good side in the hope of future roles, Jane decided to take the opportunity to explore the old mansion. She'd always been interested in Hollywood history and this old building held enough of it to totally fascinate her.

It wasn't like she was trespassing she told herself. After all, she and a few others on the film had been invited to spend the weekend. Jason himself had told her to look around when she had a chance and now seemed as good a time as any. Leaving Debbie to go and listen to the speech, Jane walked into the house through two large double patio doors.

Looking around the eighty-year-old mansion, Jane couldn't help but be impressed. People certainly had a lot more style back when it had been built, at least those who worked in Hollywood. Rather than just demand the biggest and best, the original owner had the house built to reflect his personality and, in an action that increased his standing in her eyes, Jason had sought to accent those original designs with his additions rather than obscure them. Too often newly rich stars had tried to show how much style they had by buying classic houses, then gutted them to the walls, to be rebuilt in their own plebeian image.

Walking from room to room, Jane found the little extras she expected a man like Jason to have. The audio-visual extravaganza with the latest in stereos and high definition television, complete with satellite hook-ups. The game room with a video arcade that looked more like mission control than anything you'd find in the best amusement parks. There was a full sized Olympic pool in the basement, put in by the original owner, which had also been restored to pristine condition.

Off to the side of the pool was what Jane knew was a party room of another type, complete with large plush sofas, a bar and adjustable lighting. Even today, the stories of those old time parties, one might even call them orgies, were legendary. Who exactly had taken part in them were secrets that for the most part had been carried to the grave. The whispered lists of suspects had included some of the biggest stars of the screen in the thirties right up to the nineteen fifties. Jane idly wondered if Jason used the room for the same thing or had merely restored it to its former glory as a homage to what once was.

Moving back to the higher floors, Jane found most of the rooms to be more conventional, most not much different than her own modest home except for their sheer number. She didn't feel envious or anything like that, she had long ago made peace with what her life had been and the third tier level of stardom she'd achieved.

She'd had her fun, sowed her wild oats as they say. A few affairs and one-night stands, plus a marriage that turned out to be a major mistake and had quickly ended in divorce. It hadn't taken long for her to find that Edgar Rice, who at first seemed every girl's dream, was more in love with the cards and horses than any woman. She really never fell in love until she was away from Hollywood and despite losing her second husband in a car accident two years ago, she wouldn't have traded their time together for an Oscar. Johnny had left her with a son, Clayton, who meant everything in the world to her.

Reaching the top floor, Jane discovered a large room that took up half the landing. Filled with oversized windows, she surmised that at one time it had been intended to be a solarium. Now it served as what Jason probably thought of as his own private museum. Scattered across the floor were dozens of glass cases filled with movie memorabilia. The movies and television shows the artifacts represented ranged from the well known to the obscure, many of them going back to the early days of film and TV.

"Oh my God!" Jane blurted out loud as she spotted a case at the far end of the room in a central place of honor. "He really did buy one of those damn costumes."

Moving over to the display to get a better look, Jane was captivated by an outfit she hadn't seen in twenty years. Made of a soft brown material designed to simulate lion fur, the costume, if you could really call it that, had less material than most of the bikinis of its time. The network censors had rejected the original and each succeeding version had literally grown inch by inch until they finally, if reluctantly gave their approval. As it was, there had been more than a few what they now called wardrobe malfunctions on the set, the films of which, Jane was thankful, were long ago destroyed. Today, pictures like that would most likely find their way onto the Internet within hours.

The costume was worn by a mannequin of which Jane had no doubt, probably had the same dimensions as she had back then. The features of the facsimile bore a certain resemblance to her, right down to the long red hair she had in her twenties. It was almost like looking through a reflection into the past, she thought as she walked around the case and compared the body she once had to the one she looked at in the mirror this morning.

"Still not too bad," she mused as she looked down her back at an ass that was only slightly bigger than the mannequin's. Despite their size, her boobs had held up pretty well too she told herself, making those daily workout sessions worth the while.

"I wonder if it would still fit," she contemplated as the temptation to find out just that filled her.

Thankfully that idea faded as she remembered how easily those outfits seemed to rip. So much so that they had to have four always on hand. All in all, seven were made during the series with three of them ruined beyond repair. It wouldn't do to damage what had undoubtedly cost Jason a large amount of money to whatever collector had previously owned it.

"I wonder which one this is?" Jane asked herself as she took a closer and longer look at it. The close examination answered her own question.

"I don't believe it," she said as she suddenly realized what set this version of the costume apart from any of the others. "It has to be," she went on, "I can see where I tore it and Julio had to sew it back together."

She wondered if Jason knew the history of this particular costume, but then again how could he? Only she, Julio, who was the wardrobe seamstress, and one other person knew how it had gotten torn. It was unlikely that either of them had told anyone else.

"I wonder how Jason would react if I told him that this was the costume that I wore the night I fucked 'Big Bill' Watson in my dressing room," Jane grinned as she thought back to that night after a long day of shooting the second season finale.

Twenty years older and black as the night, the veteran actor had been a guest star on the episode. He had agreed to play the part of Chief Bokari of the hidden T'Lara tribe because his son by his third ex-wife was a big fan of the show.

It wasn't until he was out of costume that Jane really understood why people called him 'Big Bill' and it wasn't because of his six foot two height. Previous to that night, Jane had never believed that myth about black men and size, but she quickly learned that even myths sometimes have a basis in truth. If he hadn't become a serious actor, Bill Watson could have given Johnny Holmes a run for his money in the porn industry.

The episode had turned out to be one of the fan's favorites and hers as well, but understandably not for the same reason. The late night encounter had left her sore for the last two days of shooting and few members of the cast or crew weren't able to guess the reason why. Thankfully, no one ever said anything about it but there had been a number of playful smiles from both men and women on the set.

"Why don't you try it on?" a familiar voice unexpectedly said from behind Jane. "I bet it still fits."

Jane turned around quickly and found Dawn Russell, the twenty-three year old star of Mara, Queen of the Jungle, standing less than ten feet away. When she had first heard someone behind her, the older woman had been filled with a sudden dread that it had been Jason and he had taken her interest in her old costume as an indication that she might have changed her mind about making his fantasies come true.

"I don't think it would stand up to my trying it on," Jane said, a touch of relief in her voice that it hadn't been Jason, "I've put on a few pounds since then and it was fragile enough back in the day."

"Nonsense," Dawn said as she moved closer and took her own look at the costume in the case. "I'd bet that you still look better in that get up than I do in mine."

That sentiment made Jane think of something she'd noticed the first day on the set, at least the first day Dawn had appeared in the Mara costume. Despite the two-decade difference and the current easier going attitude about nudity, or at least semi-nudity, Dawn's version of the costume had twice as much material as her own had. There weren't going to be any costume malfunctions on this film.

Then again, Dawn was hardly an unknown actress getting her first big break as Jane had been. Since the age of ten, Dawn had practically grown up on television. First as one of the children on a family oriented sitcom, then as a teen as part of an ensemble cast on a musical variety show. Finally, as a nineteen year old with her own show that ended last year after a three year run.

In that time, Dawn had developed a reputation as being a sort of virginal all American princess. So much so that one columnist had gone so far as to label her a 90's version of Annette Funicello. Making a public declaration that you wouldn't have sex with a man until your wedding night had become the in thing to do among teen stars, and Dawn had been no exception. But what was exceptional was that in her case she actually seemed to mean it. Unlike her peers, no hint of scandal had ever been connected with her or her relationship with Ronnie Cunningham, the boy she'd met on that variety show and had dated on and off in the years since.

When Jane first learned that Dawn had been signed to star in the film, she wasn't sure how she was going to get along with the younger actress. For all she knew, the girl might even be one of those bible thumpers that look at anyone who has a little fun as being on the express elevator to hell.

So when Dawn showed up at a small, casual get-together that Jason arranged to acquaint the principals with each other, Jane almost burst out laughing when the new Mara walked up and introduced herself. It wasn't so much anything Dawn did or said as much as what she was wearing.

With long blonde haired tied in a ponytail and deeply tanned skin, Miss Goodness-And-Everything-Wholesome was decked out in low cut jeans and a light blue tank top that while not exactly see through, was form fitting enough to show that she wasn't wearing a bra and that it didn't have to be translucent to display exactly what it supposed to be covering. Additionally, the almost blouse bore the legend "Good girls are just bad girls who haven't been caught."

In no time at all, despite the difference in their ages, the two of them became friends. At least friends enough to have no problem working together. Despite her star status, Dawn never looked down at Jane, who many others looked at as a has been, if not a never was. Still, there was something in the way the younger actress looked at her at times that Jane could never quite put her finger on. But she finally decided it was only her imagination playing tricks on her.

"I was looking for Heather, have you seen her?" Dawn asked Jane as if to explain what she was doing here.

Heather Cox was one of the co-stars of the film. Three years older than Dawn, the dark skinned actress played Mara's best friend and the daughter of Chief Bokari. Having paid her dues in the soaps and a few guest shots on network shows, she had graduated to big screen after Jason had seen her in one of the latter roles. A chance that she had taken to heart and worked harder than any two people to give the best performance possible. She had also, Jane recalled, become close friends with Dawn, which was understandable seeing they were of the same age.

"I'm afraid I haven't seen her," Jane replied, "maybe she's listening to Jason's 'I had a vision' speech."

"If that's the case then I feel sorry for her," Dawn laughed, "I've heard that one too many times."

"I guess attendance is sort of mandatory if you want to stay in his good graces," Jane replied in kind.

"Fortunately, you and I don't have that problem," Dawn pointed out. "In our cases, he needed us more then we needed him."

"That much is probably true," Jane agreed.

"So what do you think of the way the film turned out?" Dawn asked as she circled the display case containing the original Mara costume. "Do you think that the fans are going to accept me as Mara?"

"How could they not," Jane said. "You're a terrific actress."

"So were you. After all, you created the role."

"I don't see how you can compare the two versions," Jane said in surprise. "You're a real actress, I was just some beauty queen who got lucky. Would you believe the only reason I was even considered for the role was that I had the boobs to fit into the costume."

Dawn's face filled with a funny look and Jane thought for a moment that maybe she'd been offended by what she'd said. Or at least how she'd said it. Quickly, she offered an apology.

"I happen to think that you have great tits," Dawn countered unexpectedly, brushing aside the apology. "And at least they're real, unlike ninety percent of the other actresses in this town. I wish mine were half as nice as yours."

Jane was taken back by what Dawn said. First that she had said it in the first place, and then what she had said. Thinking back to that Annette Funicello analogy, the younger actress was hardly lacking in that department.

"Shocked that I referred to your breasts as tits?" Dawn laughed after Jane had been silent for a few seconds. "Don't be. In fact, I've been know to say things like 'fuck' and 'shit' when the mood arises, but not of course in the hearing of some nosy reporters or paparazzi. Don't believe all the PR bull that my agent puts out. I'm far from the angel that they sometimes like to portray me as."

"I never really thought all of that was true," Jane confessed, wondering not for the first time what was true and what wasn't.

"When you get to be the big star there are always people around you making sure you don't do anything to upset the apple cart," Dawn lamented, "or more accurately, the gravy train. God forbid I should do something that doesn't fit in with my 'I'll wear virginal white on my wedding day' image. You know that scene in the movie where I take a shower in the waterfall?"

Jane nodded that she remembered.

"At first they insisted that I used a body double but I refused," she explained. "Then they made sure that I was only shot from the back and the camera image ended above the crack of my ass. Finally, because I turned around so that people could see that it was me and not some body double, those assholes went over every frame of the scene with a magnifying glass to make sure that there wasn't any part of my nipple showing. Is that fucked up or what?"

Jane had to agree it was. In a way, having only been a B movie actress at best didn't seem so bad after all. At least she never had anyone telling her what she could or couldn't do.

"I wish they had let me wear the same costume that you did," Dawn said as she changed the subject back to the display case. "What's the point of working out everyday to have a kickass body if you can't show it off."

Jane had to also agree with her there. Back when she wore the costume, she used to get an almost perverse pleasure knowing everyone was looking at her in it when she walked across the set.

"You think that the boy wonder sits in here and imagines you wearing that costume?" Dawn asked.